Anthony Hope
Anthony Hope is a young sailor who helped Sweeney Todd by allowing him to board on the ship he was sailing on that was heading to London. As they approach the city, Anthony sings the song No Place Like London. As this is Anthony's first time in London, he sees it as a place of majesty and beauty. Sweeney Todd joins in to the song, in which we see that he finds it difficult to return to London after his trying ordeal. Anthony and Todd then part ways, and Anthony is on his own looking for Hyde Park. While he‘s sitting on a bench one day reading in front of a house, he sees a pale, beautiful young girl with yellow hair sitting in her window, singing about how she wishes that she were free (Green Finch and Linnet Bird). Anthony asks a poor beggar woman about the girl and learns that her name is Johanna Barker, kept locked up by the sinister Judge Turpin. He instantly falls in love with Johanna and wants to set her free. Judge Turpin, however, has noticed Anthony and threatens him with death if he is ever seen near the house again. Turpin's lackey, Beadle Bamford, then beats Anthony with his walking stick to teach him a lesson and leaves him bloody and injured outside the house. Anthony, however, continues to visit the house a few times when the Judge is away at court so that he will not be seen. On one of his visits, Johanna throws him the key to the house which signals that she wants to meet him. Because Anthony knows hardly anyone in London, he heads to Fleet Street and finds Sweeney Todd's barber shop, above Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium. He asks if he can bring Johanna to the shop to keep her safe temporarily, while he hires transportation to take them both away so that they can elope. Todd and Lovett both agree to this, and Anthony leaves. Later on, Anthony comes back to Todd with more details to his plan, only to find Judge Turpin sitting in the barber's chair. Turpin is livid and returns home to find Johanna packing. As Turpin wanted to marry Johanna himself, he is so angry and brokenhearted that he sends her away to Fogg's Asylum for the mentally deranged. Returning to the barber shop, Sweeney Todd suggests that Anthony pretends to be a wig-maker's apprentice so that he can gain access to the Asylum. Anthony does this and then rescues Johanna, bringing her (disguised as a young lad) back to Sweeney Todd's shop as he fetches a coach. Though the ending of Anthony's story is never revealed in the play, it is implied that he and Johanna left London, got married in France and are now living happily ever after. Behind the Scenes Anthony Hope is portrayed by the English actor, Jamie Campbell Bower, in the 2007 film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Heroes